The Guide: where to shop this December

We love to shop. We have our firm favourites but we equally adore finding hidden gems and disclosing our newly-discovered secrets with each other on a Monday morning. So we decided to start The Guide – a monthly edition to our blog where we reveal our hush-hush haunts.

Share them selectively, you wouldn’t want just anyone finding out…

Edition #7

The Christmas column

Christmas shopping should, in theory, be easy. There’s so much choice available to us that there are gift ideas everywhere we turn, but it’s this huge amount of choice that can undo things. We become overwhelmed with options. So for our final edition of The Guide, we decided to keep things simple and recommend five of our go-to brands for Christmas presents. There’s something for absolutely everyone.

A few words

This little British-born brand is the brainchild of one incredibly-skilled woodworker called Sophie. She began with just her traditionally carved spoons but has now expanded into crafting other utensils and breadboards out of tonal, tactile, reclaimed timber. Her designs are an unusual but beautiful addition to the home.

Product pick

Walnut eating spoons. These come in three choices of size and are such an unexpected gift for people who appreciate true craftsmanship and have a real eye for design. Treated with coconut oil, it makes every spoonful of bowl food taste all the more delicious.

Sister & Co. is a natural beauty and skincare company that’s loved for its use of raw ingredients. The ingredient that sits at the heart of every product is the cold-pressed coconut oil from a small, organic farm in Sri Lanka which is abundant in 100%-in-tact vitamins, minerals and nutrients. Luxurious and chemical free, they produce skin-quenching pots for women, men and even babies.

This heavenly British brand has been creating cashmere clothing and accessories since 1797 from their family-run mills in Scotland. They craft using traditional making methods and their garments are a mark of the finest quality. Johnston’s of Elgin is the ideal place for finding a gift for each member of the family in one swoop. From a handsome cashmere jumper for him, the softest loungewear for her and an extra-special snuggly hat for a little one.

Product pick

Tweed children’s trapper hat. There’s so much to choose from, but this was the product that made our hearts melt a little. Woven in Scotland, this fleece-lined tweed hat is as cute as a button to keep a very-lucky chap cosy warm.

Continuing with our ‘best of British’ theme, Ettinger is one of the few remaining luxury leather companies that was born in, and remains in, Britain, and has been family-run from day one (back in 1934). While we adore some of the better-known brands who produce fabulous leather goods, there’s something a little sacred about an Ettinger product, be it a wallet, a passport holder, or a zip-up key case.

Product pick

Leather cup case. A rather novel alternative to the reusable coffee tumblers. Inside is a stainless stall cup which is then encased within a supple, waxy leather holder that’s lined in brushed suede. It’s a lovely lift for that morning coffee on the commute or to enjoy a steaming cup of tea on the move.

Amelia founded her chocolate shop with four words as her mantra: quality, taste, purity and indulgence. That’s what makes her wares such a perfect gift for Christmas. Apart from her Colombian range, everything is made in England and comes in bar or box form. Chocolates are essential at Christmas time and such a failsafe gift, but Amelia Rope Chocolate is a far from an ordinary present to receive and an absolutely delightful gift to devour.